


Foothold

by Tarlan



Category: Primeval, The Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Orcs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-14 14:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9185225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: When a second anomaly opens inside the ARC, Lester never expected to see a dead person and a horde of monsters come through.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fredbassett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fredbassett/gifts).



Lester had learned long ago that if he wanted something done competently then he could only rely on himself, so when an Anomaly opened inside the ARC while the rest of the teams were out dealing with another anomaly that had opened somewhere in the middle of Suffolk, he picked up one of Temple's anomaly sealing devices and headed downstairs. A few of the soldiers left behind to guard the ARC followed him, guns at the ready in case something had come through so Lester thought he was ready for anything.

He was wrong.

The bloodied and tattered man latched onto him, deep blue eyes wide with fear and confusion before pushing him away abruptly, leaving Lester watching him in open-mouthed shock.

"Seal it," he yelled, eyes darting around frantically just as another person emerged from the anomaly.

This man looked in even worse shape, his face disfigured, and when one of the soldiers rushed towards him, grabbing him by the arms, the last thing Lester expected to see was the man-creature lean forward and take a bite out of the soldier's cheek, tearing flesh from bone as the soldier screamed in agony.

"Where's the seal?" 

It was snatched from his hands but by now there were more of the corpse-like people pouring through the anomaly, some with strips of flesh hanging from their bodies, one with innards hanging near his knees. Lester was grabbed and dragged back towards the door as the remaining two soldiers went down fighting, bullets spraying the walls but not stopping the horde of... 

"Zombies?" It was Lester's worse nightmare and as the door sealed behind them, Lester came to his senses. "You can't leave them in-."

"Not zombies. Orcs, and those soldiers are already dead. What the hell, Lester. I opened the portal to the one place I thought would be secure and you're standing there with the locking mechanism in your hand!"

"You're dead."

"Actually I'm very much alive, no thanks to-."

Stephen Hart froze as he took in the building surrounding him. "This isn't..." He looked back at Lester, searching his face as if sight alone could provide answers. "You're not my James Lester." He looked a little sick. "Where am I?"

"Supposedly dead," Lester replied sardonically. "And what were those things?"

"Those things are Orcs... and now they have a foothold into our time."

"Orcs? Lord of the Rings Orcs?"

"Lord of the what?" Stephen stumbled, and Lester grabbed for him, keeping him upright and helping him through the corridors to the medical section.

Of course no one was there to assist as it was late at night so Lester helped Stephen lie back on the bed only then noticing that most of the wounds were cuts rather than gashes, as if wounded with a knife or sword. As he turned away to grab a cleaning kit, Stephen grabbed hold of his arm.

"You need to get that anomaly closed from this side as they have a way of holding it open indefinitely, by magic, and that door won't hold them for long. Not if they bring in a battering ram."

"I'll call for reinforcements."

While they waited for the others to arrive Lester brought up the video feed from the anomaly room.

"Get out of the way, you filthy maggots. Let me see the gate." It thumped hard on the thick door and Lester hoped the door would hold until the others got back.

Now he was looking more closely he could see the creature was only humanoid in shape like a human-future predator crossbreed. Its rotting teeth were sharp like canines and its ears long and pointed, pierced with a rusty chain that looped from the tip of one bat-like ear to its half-missing nose. Its eyes were yellow and slitted like a cats, and it stared up at the camera suddenly as if it had suddenly become aware of Lester's scrutiny. It turned back and whipped the Orcs pushing at the door.

"Work harder, you maggots."

By the time the others returned Stephen was unconscious, but Becker and Matt devised a plan having noticed the Orcs carried only hand weapons such as swords, spiked maces, and sharp knives rather than automatics. It took time to drive the Orcs back through the anomaly but Connor sealed it behind them, leaving the anomaly room awash with black ichor and red blood. The medical researchers eagerly took the bodies of the dead Orcs to examine and with all the paperwork handled, Lester decided to go visit their miraculously returned-from-the-dead colleague.

He found Stephen sitting up in bed shirtless, with stark white bandages covering slash marks, and bruises covering his body.

"So. Orcs. I thought they were the imaginings of a science fantasy author by the name of Tolkien."

"Tolkien? King Elessar mentioned a man called Tolkien who disappeared through a portal some years before."

"I think I can guess where he ended up," Lester replied sarcastically, though it was obvious Tolkien hadn't written his books in this Stephen's time line.

It took a lot to believe the events from the books were real and that, millennia ago - or in the future, because he hadn't yet determined what time zone they came from - there had been more than just men but also wizards and elves, dwarves and hobbits... and of course Orcs. He was so caught up in his thoughts that it took a moment for him to realize Stephen was staring at him.

"So I died in this timeline."

Lester flinched because he'd seen the video feed, refusing to look away when the circling predators attacked the unarmed and vulnerable man. He'd owed Stephen that much; a witness to his noble sacrifice.

"Yes, well. It caused me endless reams of paperwork so don't do it again."

Stephen smiled. "I was wrong."

"Sorry?"

"You are my James Lester." Stephen grabbed hold of Lester and dragged him forward into a clumsy, hard kiss. "Hopefully in all the ways that matter," he breathed softly, before kissing Lester again.

END  
 


End file.
